The Winnipeg River Basin has received a significant amount of rain over the past 3 days, following several weeks of relatively dry weather. This rainfall has caused flows in tributaries to increase along with inflow to the main lakes. While some rain is expected today and tomorrow the following week is expected to return to dry weather.
As outflow from most lakes in the basin was low due to the dry weather, this rapid increase in flow has caused levels to climb. This increase will be temporary as dry weather is expected to cause flows to decrease over the coming week.
The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.83 m (1059.2 ft), a 35th percentile level, in the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level increased by 1 cm (less than 0.5 in) over the last week and is expected to remain relatively stable over the next week, increasing or decreasing by 1 cm (less than 0.5 in) depending on rainfall.
The dam operator is planning work around the Norman Dam and Kenora Powerhouse for September 25th and 26th. This will require no flow through the structures for the duration of the work. The work at the Norman Powerhouse will be completed September 25th from 12:00 to 19:00 CDT. During this outage, outflow from Lake of the Woods will be reduced to 127 m3/s through the Kenora Powerhouse only. The work at the Kenora Powerhouse will be completed September 26th from 9:30 to 12:30 CDT. During this outage, outflow from Lake of the Woods will be 325 m3/s through the Norman Powerhouse only. Once both outages are complete, outflow from Lake of the Woods will be restored to the authorized 325 m3/s with flow through both the Norman Dam and Kenora Powerhouse.
These outages will cause temporary level fluctuations along the Winnipeg River as follows:
Directly downstream of the Norman Dam:
- On September 25th a large decrease of up to 50 cm (20 in) followed by a similar increase after the outage is completed that day.
- On September 26th an increase of 15 cm (6 in) followed by a similar decrease after the outage is completed that day.
Directly downstream of the Kenora Powerhouse:
- On September 25th an increase of 8 cm (4.5 in) followed by a similar decrease after the outage is completed that day.
- On September 26th a decrease of 8 cm (4.5 in) followed by a similar increase after the outage is completed that day.
Above the Dalles:
- On September 25th a decrease of 12 cm (5 in) followed by a similar increase after the outage is completed that day.
- On September 26th no significant level changes are anticipated.
The water level at Minaki will not be affected by these flow changes.
These level changes are estimates based on flow through the structures and actual level changes may vary. For any questions related to these outages, please contact the Secretariat by emailing secretariat@lwcb.ca or calling 1-800-661-5922.
The current level of Lac Seul is 356.34 m (1169.09 ft), a 40th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level increased by 3 cm (1 in) over the past week and is expected to increase 1 cm (less than 0.5 in) before decreasing by 1 to 3 cm (less than 0.5 to 1 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 300 m3/s with no changes scheduled.